Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1887-04-23
Suggestions to New Settlers.
Kansas Farmer


arrived settlers know nothing personally
of our climate, our soil, or any of our ad-
vantages or disadvantages. They have
come because others came or because
they believed it good place to come to.
Many Of them were brought up in
region that was once all oyergrown with
timber; many were raised in billy or
mountainous regions where springs and
streams OF clear water were numerous
and common; many come from old set
tied communities where wealth abounds
and the loss of a single crop would not
be felt; so Of all the thousands of
strangers that have come among us, they
Left many things which they will remem-
Der as if they were part of them, and they
come here 10 find many things if not
everything different from things to which
they were accustomed, and in many cases,
different even from what they expected.
But they all come with one intent-to
better their condition and to become
citizens of Kansas. Such people need
friendly counsel of persons competent 10
to give it, for beginning right is more
than half the work.
In the first place, this is not timber
country, nor mountainous country; it
is in the very center of the United States,
thousand miles away from the ocean,
lying on an inclined plane at the foot of
the Rocky mountains, rising from one
thousand TO five thousand feet above the
sea level. These facts show the nature
of our climate. Our rains come from
two sources, the mountain SHOWS west of
us and the ocean waters south of us. In
The eastern part of the State, the rainfall
is equal to an average in the best agri-
cultural States in the Union. The annual
average rainfall since 1859, as shown by
records of The Agricultural college at
Manhattan, Riley county, a little more
than one-fourth the distance across the
State from east to west, is nearly thirty
one inches G0923). The annual average
at the State University is about thirty
five inches. In the western part of the
State, The rainfall has not been as great,
as shown by the records kept at military
stations, and more particularly at The
signal station at Fort Dodge since 1875.
The heaviest fall of any one year was
1856 inches in 1881, but in 1875 it was
only 1907, and in 1882 it was but 1914,
and the annual average for ten years,
beginning with rs and ending with 81,
was a little upward Of 81 inches CLIO.
We have not the figures for 'S5 and 'SG,
but they would raise the average little.
Much the larger portion Of the new
corners have gone to the new counties
west, and hence they are particularly
interested in the rainfall question. 1t
has been demonstrated many times that
it is the distribution of the rain and not
its extent that most affects agriculture.
Fifteen inches well distributed through
out the year are better than three times
that depth coming in storms at times
when they are not needed. But no
agency has yet been discovered 10 effect
such an equable diffusion OF rain water.
We must trust TO natural forces and take
things as they come. It follows naturally
that some years viii be drier than others,
even though more rain fall, because the
water came when it was not needed.
The evidence seems to prove that, as
to this matter, rains are increasing in
frequency and in amount of water in
western Kansas, though many well in
formed persons do not believe it, But
however this may be, the truth is, that
the rainfall in the western part of the
State has not been more than about two
thirds as much as that Of the eastern por-
ton of the State, and that it is in general
drier there than it is east. And that
brings US to the principal suggestion we
desire to make in this article. Let every
new settler make his plans, lay out his
work, pillow his ground, and do other
things about his new home with a full
understanding that the rainfall of west
ern Kansas is not as great as it is in
many other parts Ct the country. There
is nothing in this to discourage, but
rather to stimulate, because crops pro-
duced in the new counties the last few
years fully demonstrate the productive
ness of the soil and the sufficiency OF
moisture. One of the things to be re-
membered is, that when ground is broken
up it ought to be done deep and not LETT
lying in the sun for days without harrow
ing and farming. Take a bushel meas
ure and I'LL it full of mud balls; take
another measure of the same size and
pattern and ill it full of soft, completely
pulverized moist and rich earth; place
both vessels in the sunlight. In short
time one viii contain clods of dry earth,
while the soil in the other will be moist
except. a little on the top. Fresh plowed
tsoil is exposed in the same way, more or
less; it has a great many open spaces in
it, and every exposed surface operates as
a drying pan. BY keeping the soil loose,
we'll pulyerized and level, evaporation is
retarded to the greatest extent possible.
! Another thing is to plant deep SO that